Album Review: AM (Arctic Monkeys)

AM is the Arctic Monkey's fifth straight album to open at #1 in the UK. 

They are the only independent band to accomplish this feat.

Dripping with attitude & distortion, the fifth release by UK rockers Arctic Monkeys is an artful balance between the heavy-dance-rock formula they have crafted over the past decade and the maturity that came through in their last release.  While Suck It And See (2011) was less successful compared to prior Arctic Monkeys records (it lacked hit singles and still sounds to me like half of the songs were castoffs from an early Coldplay album) it allowed the Monkeys to display a level of musical and lyrical maturity not found on past records.

Where Suck It was perhaps too big of a leap from past work for core fans, AM represents harmony between old and new.  My first impression was that the record had a similar feel to Evil Friends - the most recent release from Portugal. The Man, produced by Dangermouse - as the beats on many of the  track make the hip-hop influences on AM obvious. The torrid disco-punk drumming that was the centerpiece of classic Monkeys tunes like "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" & "Brainstorm" looks like it has gone the way of the dinosaurs, but the decidedly hip-hop feel of AM allows the Monkeys to retain the catchy dance-floor-readiness that made their early work so successful (albeit at a slower pace).  Overall, the ambition displayed in the last record has been corralled into that sweet-spot - somewhere in between the bar, the dance-floor, and the alley out back - that has been the driving force behind the Arctic Monkeys since they first hit the scene.  

The record kicks off with a thumping bass drum and a steroids-strong riff on "Do I Wanna Know". It isn't complicated, but it packs the punch I've come to expect from this band.  Combined with Alex Turner's longing, syllable-cramming lyrics ("Have you no idea that you're in deep? / I've dreamt about you nearly every night this week / How many secrets can you keep? / 'Cause there's this tune I found that makes me think of you somehow and I play it on repeat") it makes "Do I Wanna Know?" a perfect opening track for the boys from Sheffield.

Next, the Monkeys up the ante by getting right to AM's fastest-paced track: the heavily distorted "R U Mine?".  It's obvious the Monkeys aren't playing around, as this tune comes closer to channeling the blistering nature of the early-Monkeys days than any other track on the album. Turner's lyrics match the intensity, as he conveys insatiable raging insecurity:

"She's a silver lining lone ranger riding through an open space / In my mind when she's not right there beside me /And I go crazy cause here isn't where I wanna be / And satisfaction feels like a distant memory / And I can't help myself / All I wanna hear her say is 'Are you mine?' "

The next few songs slow things back down to the pace of the opener, digging into the hip-hop feel central to AM.  Later on, "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High" offers the best blend of the Dangermouse influence found throughout the record and the classic Monkeys style, taking the true story of Turner telling off a drunk-dialing ex-girlfriend and layering it over the closest thing to a Dr. Dre beat on this side of the genre spectrum. It is no surprise that this song was released as a single; catchy and relatable, it is also no surprise it debuted at no. 8 on the UK Singles Chart  (the band's first UK Top 10 single in 6 years).  Capping off AM's hip-hop feel, "Knee Socks" sounds at times like it could have been produced by Pretty Lights (wouldn't that be awesome?!)

AM represents a huge artistic and commercial success for the Arctic Monkeys.  Few bands make it to their second album without losing steam, let alone finding a second wind while making their fifth. Furthermore, remaining relevant to core fans while reinventing your sound is a tricky tightrope to walk; but on AM, it is clear that one this transition has been artfully maneuvered.  If I had needed any additional proof, seeing the crowd response at a relatively intimate album release show at Webster Hall last month was all the confirmation I would have needed. If you happen to be the empirical type, AM’s debut at #8 on the Billboard charts makes it the Arctic Monkey’s best showing in America.

Arctic Monkey's rock New York City's Webster Hall to celebrate release of AM

with 1500 rabid fans - Arctic Monkeys fans love them some Arctic Monkeys

On the very early Monkeys track "Who The Fuck Are The Arctic Monkeys?" Turner famously asked the universe if, "in five years time, will it be "Who the fuck's Arctic Monkeys?"  Well, it's been nearly 7 years since the question was asked and I think - given that the Arctic Monkeys just became the first independent band to have five straight albums debut at #1 in the UK - that the answer is clear: 

Arctic Monkeys are here to stay.